Spice It Up
by tinx-r
Summary: Nick likes hot peppers. So does Cody. But Melba's peppers aren't any ordinary peppers...


"Oh hey, I love those." Nick picked up one of the tiny orange peppers off the bench and popped it into his mouth.

Melba paused with the knife she was using to chop vegetables upraised. "Say, Nick, they're the extra-hot kind," she said with an amused grin.

Nick paled slightly, but smiled. "Naw, Melba, I eat 'em like lollies," he said, voice sounding a little hoarse. He turned and ran up the stairs to the salon and grabbed his beer from the table. Under Cody's amused gaze, he downed half the can in one long swallow.

"What was that, buddy?" Cody asked, taking a swig of his own beer.

"Thirsty, that's all." Nick grinned and went back downstairs, pulling another beer from the fridge.

"It's great you like these peppers, Nick," Melba said, placing a handful of the tiny colorful vegetables on her chopping board and slicing them efficiently. "My vegetable bake sure tastes better with a bit of zing. Tell me, does Cody like them too?"

"What's that?" Cody followed Nick down the stairs, looking over his shoulder at Melba.

"These peppers." Melba indicated with her knife. "They're pretty hot, Cody, but Nick says he likes 'em. What about you?"

Cody looked at Nick a moment, then back at Melba. "Why sure! I love 'em. Me and Nick, we got used to spicy food in Vietnam."

"Oh, really?" Melba's eyebrows shot up. "I thought you'd have been eating army rations."

"Well, most of the time we were," Cody said hurriedly, "but when we got a chance, you know..."

"Yeah." Nick backed him up. "We ate out a bunch of times in Saigon. They got spices over there'd make your hair curl, right man?"

"Oh, well, at that rate - " Melba, grinning, reached for the rest of the peppers in the bag. "Dinner'll be ready in half an hour."

Nick and Cody went back upstairs to watch the rest of the ballgame. It was a draw, and they came to the table still exchanging friendly barbs about their teams.

"Cody, you just got to admit, the Padres aren't gonna get their form back this season. Or next season, or the season after that - "

"While the Cubs keep bowling foul balls, they don't need to," Cody retorted, his color rising.

"Come on, boys, game's over," Melba admonished them, placing a heaping platter of vegetables in the center of the table. "Now, remember, the vegetable bake's pretty spicy!"

There were ham steaks, coleslaw and Melba's colorful vegetable bake, as well as mashed potatoes. Nick ladelled several spoonfuls of the vegetables over his ham and potatoes, smacking his lips. "Melba, this looks great."

"It sure does," Murray agreed. "But I'm gonna pass on the vegetable bake, Baba! If YOU say it's spicy, well, I know it REALLY packs a punch."

Melba chuckled, helping herself to coleslaw. "It'll be tasty," she said.

"I for one am gonna love it," Cody affirmed, spooning it onto his plate. "Nick, pass the ham, willya?"

Two bites in, sweat was streaming down Nick's face. He gulped his beer ineffectually, then took a mouthful of potato, trying to ease the burning in his mouth. Cody grinned and elbowed him in the ribs. "Too hot for you, buddy?"

"No way." Nick set his jaw and took two more big mouthfuls, trying to swallow without chewing. His mouth felt as though it was being incinerated from the inside and every breath he took fanned the flames.

Next to him, Cody's enthusiasm was flagging. He was breathing shallowly through his mouth, lips peeled slightly back from his teeth, and he stared at his ham with concentration.

"Dammit," he exclaimed suddenly, and drained his beer.

Nick stared, then did the same. "Get me one while you're down there," he said hoarsely.

With a quick nod, Cody complied. Water ran in the galley and Cody came back up the steps, face red and gleaming with sweat. He slid back in beside Nick and placed two bottles in front of each of their places. "Backup," he muttered.

"Thanks."

Nick looked from Cody to Melba. He wanted to quit, but the amused look in Melba's eyes... He looked back at Cody.

Cody looked at Nick, then flicked his eyes apologetically at Melba. Nick gave a slow nod. They had to eat it, or they'd never hear the end of it.

From a competition between the two guys, it became a slow torture together. Nick pressed his knee against Cody under the table, feeling Cody shaking, and they both ate as quickly as they were able. Melba and Boz chatted happily as though nothing was amiss, discussing the exhibition they planned on seeing the next day.

"And maybe there'll be time for waterskiing in the afternoon! What do you think, Cody?"

Cody tore his eyes from his plate to Murray's excited face. "Waterskiing? Uh... sure." His stomach churned. He'd found that by swallowing the vegetable brew whole and chasing it with a hunk of mashed potato and a mouthful of beer, he could get the stuff down, but he didn't think he'd ever been in so much pain. He wondered if this was how mustard gas felt.

Neither Nick nor Cody stayed for dessert. It took only one traded glance for Nick to "remember" an appointment with Straightaway, and the two of them nearly ran off the boat. With one accord, they dashed down the pier to the ice cream vendor.

"Vanilla," Cody panted, arriving a step ahead of Nick. He pawed frantically at his back pocket then turned, blue eyes terrified. "Nick, I don't have my wallet!"

Wordlessly, Nick dragged his own from his pants. He rifled quickly through it and held out two bills. "And milkshakes," he told the man serving. "Two, the biggest you have. Chocolate."

They stood, trembling, waiting with baited breath as the man made the cones and put the milkshake cups on the mixer. Cody grabbed the ice creams and Nick grabbed the shakes, and as the ice cream man turned slowly toward the cash register, they shook their heads with one accord.

"Keep the change." 


End file.
